The Congolese Union of Media Women (UCOFEM) released, on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, the report of a survey it conducted in 30 Kinshasa media on the image of women in the media and by the media. This study was carried out from November 01 to 14, 2022 with the collaboration of the organizations UNESCO, IPDC (International Program for the Development of Communication) and JDH (Journalists for Human Rights).
This survey aimed to assess the level of gender mainstreaming by analyzing media content and gender representation. The results of the survey show an under-representation of women, whether at the decision-making level or in the content broadcast. Only 26% of media owners are women compared to 74% men. A small proportion of media outlets have a gender desk to monitor and assess gender equality, although a few have shown considerable efforts to give prominence to women’s issues.
UCOFEM advocates for a greater commitment of owners of media companies to have policies in favor of the promotion of gender equality. Women journalists, for their part, are called upon to lead a battle to ensure that women are more present in the content broadcast.
The UNESCO representative in the DRC, Isaias Barreto da Rosa, encouraged women in the media to work harder to increase the visibility of women on all fronts. According to the same representative, the report of this survey should serve as a reference tool for questioning the Congolese media to improve the image of women in the media.
In short, this survey allows the Congolese media to be more involved in the promotion of gender equality for a more egalitarian Congolese society.